e.l.f. Skin Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm for skin with dark spots
Sodium Hyaluronate
Ceramides
Peptides
Glycerin
Sunflower Seed Oil
High
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for skin with dark spots; a few pre-cleansers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dark spots: hyperpigmentation, sun spots, and uneven skin tone. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Highly suitable for your normal skin due to ceramides and hyaluronic acid, which support barrier repair and hydration, while cleansing oils like Cetyl Ethylhexanoate and Caprylic Capric Triglyceride effectively dissolve makeup.
- The product offers general skincare benefits, such as hydration and cleansing, which are supportive but not directly targeted at your main goal of pigmentation.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation for your normal skin due to the absence of prohibited or harsh ingredients.
How to apply
- Use this makeup remover as part of your PM routine every evening to melt away makeup and impurities.
- Apply this makeup remover as the first step of your evening routine before using your regular cleanser.
- Gently massage the makeup remover onto your face using circular motions, then rinse thoroughly with water.
- For the best results , apply the makeup remover directly to dry skin to help break down makeup effortlessly.
- Avoid the immediate eye area and do a patch test before your first use to ensure your skin feels comfortable.
People Say
★4.7Overall rating based on 13.0k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users overwhelmingly find this cleansing balm highly effective at melting away even waterproof makeup, leaving skin feeling hydrated and soft. It is frequently noted as being gentle and suitable for sensitive skin, offering excellent value. A moderate number of users report temporary blurry vision if the product gets into the eyes, while a smaller number experience an oily residue or occasional breakouts.
Highlights
Effective makeup removal Mostly Mentioned
- “melts makeup like butter”
- “removes lash glue with ease”
- “takes off waterproof mascara”
- “dissolves everything instantly”
Great value Often Mentioned
- “budget friendly”
- “fraction of the price”
- “better than high end”
- “unbeatable price point”
Hydrating and non-stripping Often Mentioned
- “skin feels soft and hydrated”
- “no tightness at all”
- “leaves skin silky smooth”
- “moisturizing after rinse”
Gentle on sensitive skin Sometimes Noted
- “didn't break me out”
- “no strong fragrance”
- “extremely gentle”
- “safe for sensitive eyes”
Temporary blurry vision Sometimes Noted
- “cloudy eyes”
- “blurry vision for minutes”
- “film on eyes”
- “fogs up my sight”
Caused breakouts Rarely Noted
- “worst breakout”
- “gave me cystic acne”
- “clogged my pores”
- “caused whiteheads”
Oily residue Rarely Noted
- “leaves a film”
- “waxy feel”
- “greasy residue”
- “hard to rinse off completely”
Small quantity Rarely Noted
- “runs out fast”
- “wish it was bigger”
- “small amount for the jar”
- “finished in two weeks”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, target.com, walmart.com, influenster.com, well.ca, and more
Questions and answers
What makes e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm a great fit for skin with dark spots?
This cleansing balm is a great fit because it effectively removes makeup while keeping skin hydrated and comfortable, even though it does not actively fade dark spots. Its ceramides, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid help keep your skin barrier healthy and smooth during cleansing.
Life, 2023Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Which ingredients make this cleanser a good fit for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is a great fit because it contains ceramides, sodium hyaluronate, and glycerin, which keep your skin hydrated and protected while you wash. While these ingredients do not directly fade dark spots, they support an overall healthy skin barrier with an excellent safety profile that is unlikely to cause irritation.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for skin with dark spots?
Hyaluronic acid is unlikely to directly fade dark spots, but it helps keep dry and uneven skin plump and deeply hydrated. To effectively target dark spots, this type of skin needs brightening ingredients like vitamin C or niacinamide alongside your hydrator.
What do Ceramides do for skin with dark spots?
Ceramides help keep the skin barrier strong and hold in moisture, which supports healthy skin overall. When dealing with dark spots, a product of this type needs added ingredients like niacinamide or vitamin C to actively fade discoloration and brighten the skin.
Scientific Reports, 2022Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 2023
Where does it go in a skincare routine for skin with dark spots?
This makeup remover goes in the evening routine before your cleanser, both on regular nights and weekly routine nights. It effectively dissolves makeup while supporting hydration and barrier repair, though it does not directly target your dark spots.
Can I use this cleanser with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this makeup remover in your evening routine before your cleanser, especially since it has a very safe formula that is unlikely to cause irritation. Using a gentle, hydrating product helps keep your skin calm while you use strong ingredients like retinol.
How often should I use it?
You can use this makeup remover in the evening whenever you wear makeup, as part of your nighttime routine. It is very gentle on your skin and helps keep it soft and hydrated while effectively melting away makeup.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can this cleanser clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for skin with dark spots?
This cleanser is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts for skin with dark spots because it has an excellent safety profile with no harsh ingredients, though a small number of reviewers report a low risk of breakouts. It does not contain active ingredients that cause purging.
Is it fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (geraniol, linalool, and parfum).
What the research says
Topical application of an emollient emulsion containing 15.0% caprylic/capric triglyceride doubled the amount of urocanic acid isomers and increased skin hydration with reduced transepidermal water loss in healthy subjects, though it did not prevent ultraviolet-induced urocanic acid isomerization.
Life, 2023A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012
Ingredients
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Peg-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Polyethylene, Peg-10 Isostearate, Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil Sunflower Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Sunflower Seed Oil, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Ceramide Np, Ceramide 6 Ii, Ceramide 1, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Phytosphingosine, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Water, Polysorbate 20, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Cholesterol, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Geraniol, Linalool, Parfum
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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